


Texan Heat

by adagiium



Category: Holes (2003), Holes - Louis Sachar
Genre: AU, M/M, No camp greenlake, Slow Burn, stanley? He might appear eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22288531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adagiium/pseuds/adagiium
Summary: "Hey." A deep voice, with a hint of a southern drawl, says. Hector doesn't know where he is anymore. He's nervous, heart ringing in his ears.There's a soft thump on the ground in front of him. The man is sitting in front of him. Hector is paralyzed with fear."It's rude not to say hello back, you know?" The man tells him. Although it did really sound like a question, as if he expected him to not know to say hello.
Relationships: Zigzag (Holes)/Hector Zeroni
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Hector sits under the shade of the large oak tree. The roots digging into his thighs. The ground is hard under him, but he's pleased to be out of the sun.

A gentle breeze flows through the park. He closes his eyes and drifts off into a light sleep.

When he awakes it's dusk, the sun is starting to retreat. His legs are asleep. He shifts uncomfortably, the feeling of needles shoot up his legs as he does so.

He sits a little while longer, he doesn't know what time it is. He figures the spot he's in now is comfortable enough to sleep at for the night. His legs might fall asleep again, but no one has bothered him as of yet. He stays under the tree.

He allows his thoughts to wander as he sits, too awake now from his nap to sleep. He thinks of dumb things. Elephants riding tricycles, a kangaroo boxing, geckos singing instead of screaming. The silliness is not long lived as he thinks of much darker things. His current situation, being the main thing his thoughts are encompassed by.

He's cold, despite the breeze from early having dissipated. He shifts to grab the bag he normally has with him. It's not with him anymore. It was stolen the night before he remembers.

He pulls his arms inside of the sleeves of his dirty short sleeved shirt. He pulls his knees up to his chest as well.

He makes the decision to go to the homeless shelter tomorrow. For now he'd just be cold.

He places his chin on his knees and closes his eyes. He tries to go back to sleep. The sound of traffic on the road beyond is a comforting noise. The noise however isn't enough to lull him to sleep, he sits awake for a while longer.

There is voice in the distance and Hector hopes the don't come over to where he is. He can hear them getting closer, he pulls an arm from out of his shirt and clamps it over his mouth to stop any sounds he may make by mistake.

The person, a man, passes by him without incident. He lets out a sigh of relief. He might celebrated too soon as the man stops abruptly, clearly listening. Hector stops breathing. He isn't supposed to be here, but neither is this other person.

"Hey." A deep voice, with a hint of a southern drawl, says. Hector doesn't know where he is anymore. He's nervous, heart ringing in his ears.

There's a soft thump on the ground in front of him. The man is sitting in front of him. Hector is paralyzed with fear.

"It's rude not to say hello back, you know?" The man tells him. Although it did really sound like a question, as if he expected him to not know to say hello.

Hector pulls his other arm into his sleeve. He doesn't want to be caught off guard if something happens.

"Hi." Hector says to the man, he sounds like he's asking a question though. He clamps his mouth shut, teeth clicking audibly in the night.

"Name's Ricky, nice to meet ya'" Ricky tells him. Hector wonders briefly why this man is talking to him so late. He doesn't know him.

Hector hums, wondering if he should give a fake name. Ricky might not be this mans name anyway.

"Hey, you cold?" Hector is asked by Ricky before he can give the man his name. He can see vaguely that Ricky is moving, the ruffling of fabric is subtle.

He is given Ricky's jacket. He holds it in a clenched hand now. Upset that it was that evident he needed help. He looks down at the coat, not really being able to see it much through the dark anyway.

Ricky stands, and walks briskly, gone as quickly as he came. Hector tries to ignore his feelings of disdain for himself as he puts on the jacket. He was cold.

He wonders if the interaction was real after some time of sitting alone, it was weird. Why did he give him the jacket? Why did he just start a conversation?

He lays on the ground, tired now. He closes his eyes, the traffic finally lulls him to sleep.


	2. 02

He wakes up early, the sun just starting to rise. He wonders what time it is dimly. He stretches his cramped muscles, taut from laying on the hard ground. He looks at the jacket. It's large. Much too large for his small frame. The black fabric is dulled to a muted grey from wear. Hector feels bad about not giving the jacket back.

He wonders what he should do with it. A toss up between wearing it, or leaving it where he's at currently for the man to get it later. He looks down at his hands, scratching at the dry calloused skin. His hands are hard, rough. Unlike the jacket he's wearing, it's soft.

He takes the jacket with him. He walks at a slow pace, almost leisurely. He weaves through the sidewalks, riddled with people, to the homeless shelter.even if he doesn't want to, he has to get some supplies. He enters the old building. He thinks he remembers it being historical landmark. The woman at the desk looks to him and smiles.

"Hi Zero." Her voice is rough sounding, unlike what she looks like. She's smaller than him, at only 4"9. "Haven't seen you in a while." She tells him, He knows this already. People are milling around the lobby.

"Jenn," He gives her a nod and walks to another door. She knows he isn't one for conversation.

He opens the door, and is greeted by a large man leaving, bumping into him. There was no apology. He hears the man say something rude, but does nothing. He doesn't want to be kicked out of this shelter.

He enters the large room, The employees are obvious, wearing grey shirts with something written on them. Hector was too embarrassed to ask what they said. He approaches a woman that had helped him out before, he can't remember her name.

He taps her on the shoulder and she turns to him. Her facial features shift slightly. She's genuinely happy to see him, he realizes.

"Zero! how've you been sugar?" She asks him, a large smile on her face. He doesn't understand how she can be so happy in all this misery. He smiles back despite his thought. She grabs his arm swiftly, knowing why he's here. Leading him through the people, and the clutter, she takes him to the back room where all the important supplies are. She starts rummaging through the items.

"D'your stuff get taken?" She asks him, turning towards him. He's uncomfortable with the question, not wanting to answer, and show weakness. He nods stiffly. She shakes her head, smile faltering.

"You're just a kid..." Her voice quiets at the end, the southern twang she has enema-ting clearly. She hands him a backpack, empty. Last time he was here it was full.

"Well... go ahead and get what you need." She smiles again, crossing her arms. She moves to the door and leans against it. "Not 'possed to let you pick it out, but i know you'll only take what you need." She's very trusting. He does just that, he takes what he thinks will keep him warmest in the upcoming winter months.

He's got a few pairs of pants, socks, shirts, and a jacket that has seen better days. He can return the one from Ricky now and have something for himself. He's also got hygiene items, deodorant, a toothbrush, toothpaste. That's all they really had available.

He turns towards her, ready to leave. She looks at him sadly. She always does that though.

"You know you can always stay here, right?" She tells him. She told him that last time . He knows that.

"People need the space more than me." He tells her, voice quiet. He told her that last time too. She shakes her at him again, and lets out an exasperated sigh.

She opens the door and he follows her out. The bag is a welcome weight on his shoulders, having missed the feeling last night.

He waves a goodbye to her, and she waves back, turning to someone who called her.

He goes into the lobby, and waves to Jenn.

"Bye Sugar, I hope to see you soon..." She pauses for a few seconds before following it with "In better circumstances of course."

He exits the shelter. He puts his hands in his pockets. He remembers that the jacket isn't his as he pulls out a wad of paper from the pocket. He unfolds it, two twenty dollar bills are folded inside. The paper says something he can't read. He folds it back up and shoves it back into the pocket.

He can't decide if him accidentally robbing Ricky, or if being pitied is the worse of the possibilities. He hopes it was just a mistake.

He figures he won't see Ricky again, so he's going to use the money. He tries to remember where the nearest store is. He stops abruptly as he remembers it's in the other direction. He turns around, and walks the correct way to the store. Hopefully he doesn't look too bad and is allowed in.

The bell chimes when he enters the small supermarket. The man at the counter sneers at him, but doesn't tell him to leave. He grabs a basket, in a hurry to get away from the shop, and the man.

"Wait." The older gentleman barks out at him. He turns, his shoes making a light squeaking noise as he does. "Leave your bag up here."

He knows why the man asked him to do it. He's making sure he doesn't steal anything. He wouldn't steal anything, but the man doesn't know that. He walks to the counter and shoulders off the backpack, setting it on the bagging area. The man nods, pleased with his cooperation.

He takes his basket and starts to walk up and down the aisles at a quick pace. He grabs a few canned goods, ones that don't require a can opener. He knows he shouldn't get too many, or else his bag will be too heavy. He finds the clearance area. There aren't many items that he'd be able to use, but he grabs a package of jerky that expires soon. He throws it in the basket. He has a week worth of food if he eats once a day. That's good enough, he decides as he heads back to the front of the store. The shop keeper behind the counter looks at him, seeming surprised by him buying and then actually paying.

Hector sets his things on the conveyor belt. Once his items are out of the basket and being scanned, he places the basket by his feet, where the others are. His total is cheap, only a little more than eight dollars. He hands the man a twenty, who in return, gives him is change.

"I don't need a bag." He tells the man, grabbing his bag and opening it. He hastily shoves his food into it.

He turns, throwing his bag over his shoulder. The weight fairly uncomfortable now that he has cans.

He turns back around, looking at the man. "What time is it?" He asks, he forgot to ask at the shelter.

"A little past noon." He tells him gruffly. Hector nods, and leaves.

He steps outside the shop, warmth washing over him almost immediately. It was nice in the air conditioned store. He decides to go to the park again. Perhaps he'll run into Ricky and return his jacket, the money though, well the eight dollars are lost now, he won't be able to pay them to him. At least not today.

He rolls his shoulders as he walks to the park. The heat was starting to bother him, the jacket a little too warm for his liking.

He walks through the park, watching the people having a nice time. He gets to the tree he was at yesterday and sits down on his roots once again. He takes off his bag, and quickly removes the jacket, folding it and placing it on his bag.

He's tired again. This is more he's done today then he's done in awhile. He yawns, resting his head against the tree.

He doesn't fall asleep. He wishes he could, but it's too loud in the park to nap. He raises his arms above his head, stretching. His joints crack and pop loudly. He sighs in relief.

"Hey, I thought you might still be here." Hectors head snaps up. He hadn't been expecting him to be here so quickly. Was he waiting for him? He hopes he wasn't waiting, that would be weird.

Hector didn't know what to say to the man. He grabbed the jacket and handed it to him.

Ricky looks surprised, his eyes unnervingly large. He's shaking, Hector notices. He takes the jacket from him.

Ricky drapes it over one of his arms, the other harm reaches up and brushes into his messy blond hair. Hector wonders if he owns a hairbrush.

"Thank you," Hector says. "I, uh, spent some of the money in the pockets..." His eyes dart to the ground. He wonders why he told him that. This shaking mess of a man probably wouldn't have noticed.

Ricky makes a humming noise in the back of his throat. He sits in front of him just like the day before.

Hector doesn't know what to say. He's still tired, and just wants to take a nap. He wrings his hands together nervously, he doesn't know what Ricky wants.

"Hey, since you know my name, what's yours?" Ricky asks him. Hector contemplates lying, after all what if Ricky isn't actually this mans name?

"Zero." He tells him. A life long nickname is better than a fake name he thinks. He'll actually remember it at least. Ricky frowns, his eyes lose some of their shine that Hector hadn't even noticed they'd had.

"Alright then..." Ricky clears his throat. His smile is back now, his teeth are bright white, and impeccably straight. He wonders if Ricky is rich and that's why his teeth are so nice. He looks clean, and well taken care of. He's dressed casually, the only odd thing about his appearance being the shaking, and the unkempt hair.

Hector wonders again, why is this man talking to him? He is clearly homeless, and he got his jacket back.

"I, uh..." Ricky pauses, looking like he's searching for what to say. "I hope it's not weird that I'm uh, sitting with you..." His voice trails off towards the end. His hand is back in his hair. Hector figures it's a nervous tick or something. Hector stops wringing his hands.

"It's nice." Hector wants to hit himself. He shouldn't have said that. He doesn't want Ricky to keep coming back here to talk to him.

Ricky stands abruptly, yanks his hair and turns around. Hector blinks confused at the odd behavior.

"I have to go now." Ricky practically yells at him. He's tall, Hector notes, as his stride takes him farther away. He has to be at least six foot.

Hector shifts slightly, his legs hurting from the hard tree roots. He stretches them out, the muscles ache. His stomach growls. He's still hasn't eaten yet.

He reaches for his bag, and opens it. The food is still on top of his clothes, he's glad he didn't have to dig for something to eat. He pulls out a can of beans, pulling off the top, he realizes he didn't get anything to eat it with. He sighs, irritated with his mistake. He's going to eat these, silverware or not. He tilts the can up to his mouth, and eats his meal as if it were a beverage.

They were okay as far as beans go, he'd eat them again. He takes a swig of water he'd almost forgotten he bought. He shoves the lid of the can into the can itself and stands. He looks at his bag, but decides to leave it there as he walks to the trash, it's less than a minute away.

He returns after disposing of his can to find everything the way he'd left it. He lays in the grass this time, not wanting to sit against the tree anymore. The ground is still uncomfortable, but not as much as the tree. He shoves his arm through the strap of his bag. He doesn't want anyone to take it, if he falls asleep.

He does in fact fall asleep, it's short lived however, as something hits his foot. He opens his eyes. It's much darker than earlier, he must've slept longer than he thought.

He sits up, looking to see what had hit him. It was Ricky. This guy just won't leave him alone. He's going to have to have to find a different spot.

He sits up straight, back popping, to try and get a look at the man above him. It's sunset, Hector realizes, the sun casting a glow around the mans messy blonde hair. Ricky smiles, toothy and too big for his face, Hector thinks.

"Want to go get something to eat? I'll buy." Ricky asks. Hector feels vaguely insulted, of course Ricky'd pay he's homeless, he doesn't have any money.

"Sure." Hector finds himself saying. He figures why not get an actual meal for once. Even if in the back of his mind is telling him it's a bad idea. He really doesn't know this man.

"Cool." Ricky says, before grabbing Hector's hand, lifting him with relative ease. The weight of the backpack pulling down on his arm is no longer comfortable. It's now a liability. He'll be too slow with the weight of it too be able to easily get away if things go wrong.

Ricky's staring at him, waiting for him he guesses. The hand not holding his, pulls at his hair again. A definite tick Hector realizes, He's nervous.

"Ready?" Hector asks hims, just so Ricky would stop staring at him, well through him more like it he realizes after a minute of not actual eye contact. Leave it to him to go to dinner with a paranoid weirdo.

"Uhh, I uh?" Ricky stammers, incomprehensible, and for a few seconds Hector doesn't understand what he wants. Ricky points to his bag, and tries again. "I can uh carry it, it's heavy."

It is heavy but he isn't going to let anyone carry it but him. He doesn't want to have to go back to the shelter until late winter. He shakes his head no. Ricky nods, and still holding his hand, starts to walk to, what Hector can assume, is one of the many park exits.

He was right, but it would be dumb if he wasn't. They leave the park, using an exit Hector has only used a handful of times. Most of the places he goes to are on the other side of the park. 

They stop abruptly, just across the street from the park. They haven't said a single word since Ricky had asked to hold his bag. It isn't really awkward, more weird then anything else. Almost as if he could read his mind, Ricky opens his mouth to speak.

"Where do you want to uh, go?" Hector is asked. He thinks it's interesting Ricky doesn't know where to go. He just shrugs and figures Ricky will pick somewhere affordable. Ricky nods, Hector assumes he's chosen somewhere.


	3. Chapter 3

Dragging the two of them through the streets of the city, they find themselves at a small restaurant. The building seems old, blue paint peeling off, the old sign he can't read starting to fade. Ricky looks at him for a fraction of a second before letting go of his hand, and pulling open a whining old door. 

The inside is fairing much better than the outside. Clearly old, but renovated within the past 10 years, Hector thinks. An old woman looks at them from her counter, frowning. 

"No homeless. You don't get no handouts from me." She says, sneering at the both of them. Hector sighs quietly, he'd expected it from the shopkeeper from earlier, but not here.

"Not homeless, taking our money elsewhere though." Ricky tells her, frowning, neck and cheeks red, from what Hector can only assume is anger, or embarrassment. He's grabbed by the hand once more, and led out of the restaurant. 

They go just across the street, and enter an even older building. The middle aged woman greets them with a warm smile, which falters for a few seconds when she glances at Hector.

"Sit anywhere you'd like sweeties." Her smile is back, as she tells them this. They sit quickly, at a booth near the front register. Hector sets his bag on the inner side of the booth. A quickly glance around, there's only one other person in here, an old woman, sitting in the very back, near what Hector assumes is the restroom, and kitchen areas.

The menus are already at the tables, along with salt, pepper, and sugar. They both grab a menu, Hector doesn't know why he does. For appearances he guesses, but he can't even read anything on it. Ricky is looking at his like it's got a code, and if doesn't figure it out he'll be killed. Hector almost laughs, it can't be that serious, it's probably all basic diner food anyway.

"Can I get you two anything to drink?" The woman asks them, notepad in hand now. 

"Can I get a uh, Pepsi?" Ricky asks, and Hector is grateful, because they have Pepsi products and he doesn't have to guess like a fool. She nods, writing it down, and looks to him expectantly. 

"Uh, a uh, Root Beer?" He asks, she nods, before walking off, towards the back. She stops to check on the one other person in the building before disappearing in the back completely.

"Sorry about that lady earlier, I... I didn't think she'd say that..." Ricky looks at him now, menu abandoned on the table. "I've been going there for years." He looks down, eyes scanning the menu once more.

"Do you know what you're getting?" Hector smiles, it's tight. He knows Ricky doesn't mean harm by his question, but he feels stupid nonetheless. He nods, pointing at something random, and hoping it's an actual meal, and isn't expensive. 

"Nice, the roast is pretty good here, if I do say so myself." Ricky tells him. Hector thanks God, that it's not something gross, or complicated. 

"Ready to order?" Their waitress asks, setting their drinks down onto the table. Hector hadn't even seen her approach, despite sitting where he should see her approach. Ricky nods.

"Can I get my usual?" The woman nods, and looks to him now, pen ready to scrawl what he says.

"Could I get the roast?" Hector asks, and she stands, clearly thinking before shaking her head no.

"Sorry honey, no roast today. Eddy didn't wanna make it." Hector doesn't know what to get. He looks down at the menu, pretending to look it over again. "The special today is 'Beef Tips' served over noodles with gravy." She tells him, clearly seeing him struggle.

"I'll have that, thanks." He tells her. She smiles, teeth yellowed, probably from too much coffee, and walks away. 

Hector takes a sip of his drink. Before moving it away slightly. 

"Why'd you look at the menu if you already knew what you were getting?" Hector asks Ricky, who in turn changes to a shade of red.

"Didn't want to make you uncomfortable." Hector thinks he's lying. He should've said some sort of filler word, if he wasn't. He squints at him.

"Uh-huh..." Is all Hector says, before he himself is asked a question that makes him uncomfortable.

"Can you uh, I don't want to be rude... but read?" Hector stiffens, it's a rude question to ask, he wants to spit out but refrains. Ricky instantly seems apologetic, for asking. 

"What makes you think that?" Hector asks, stressed, voice tight. Ricky shifts, drumming both his hands on the table

"You didn't move your eyes when looking at the menu..." He pauses, the drumming stopping when he does, "and you looked frantic when she told you they didn't have what you pointed to. That's all really." He finishes, dragging his hands off the table.

That's all? Hector thinks, He noticed he didn't actually look at the menu, who does that?

"Oh..." Hector says, he's dumbfounded. "Well no I can't..." He admits, though Ricky already knows.

"I read the menu to make sure they didn't add anything like a, uh, a trick..." Ricky tells him, and God, this dude's weird.

Now the silence is uncomfortable. The restaurant feels stuffy, and old. Hector takes a large sip of his drink to try to feel more in the moment. It doesn't work, he chokes slightly instead. Coughing slightly, Hector puts a fist up to his mouth to cough into. He's fine, throat scratchy now, but Ricky looks like he might die. 

"I'm er, Okay Ricky..." He tells him, and Ricky seems unsure. He nods nonetheless, proceeding to tap his fingers again, Hector watching him do it. He doesn't know what to say. He can't address the menu thing, because it will make Ricky weird, but he doesn't know what else to talk about. 

"How long have you been uh, homeless?" Ricky asks him, genuinely looking like he thinks that's remotely okay to ask.

"Do you understand that words can have an impact to the people you say them to?" Hector asks him, instead of answering.

"Not really, sorry if I uh, upset you?" Ricky says, but it's more like he doesn't understand that people have emotions. 

Hector sighs, he doesn't know how to dig himself out of this weird conversational pit, they're in. He thanks God however, as he sees their waitress coming with food. She's at the table, in less than thirty seconds, and places their food down. She takes Ricky's glass, Hector doesn't remember even seeing him drinking more than once.

"Thank you." Ricky tells the woman as she walks away, and she replies with a hum.

Hector stares waiting for Ricky to eat, he has a feeling he won't, like a robot that isn't sophisticated enough to understand humans. He doesn't. The waitress comes back and sets his drink down.

"Everything okay?" She asks them. They both nod, almost in unison. 

Hector takes a bite of his food, ignoring the fact that Ricky seemingly doesn't. Hector hasn't had non canned food for a long time. He only went to the soup kitchen when he's desperate. He can't remember the last time he had pasta. Ricky not eating is bothering him, he figured he could ignore it.

"Are you okay?" He asks, between a bite of food.

"Hey, just real quick, could you uh, maybe take a bite of my food real quick?" He says, pointedly not answering Hector, before continuing, "I uh, can't eat it, might be poisoned..."

'He's okay with other people being poisoned though' is all Hector can think about though, as he reaches his fork out to stab a bite of whatever Ricky is eating. He couldn't tell by looking. It's fine, not something he'd probably order, but definitely not poisoned. Ricky starts to eat as he sees Hector not keel over.

"Thanks..." Ricky says, before taking another bite of his food.

The rest of their meal is nice, quiet as they just eat. The waitress comes over to check on them, leaving the check on one of her trips. It isn't that bad of a total, only $18.92. Hector knows he probably won't ever be able to repay him. He feels bad now, like he's taking advantage of this weird man's kindness. He probably should stop calling him weird.

"I wonder how much the tip should be..." Ricky says quietly, clearly to himself. He looks confused, as he types numbers into his phone. Hector almost laughs, he hasn't seen a flip phone in years.

"By how much? fifteen, or twenty percent?" He asks him instead of laughing at his phone. Ricky looks even more confused. "It's two eighty-four, or three seventy-eight." 

"I'll just leave five bucks... thank you though." Ricky tells him, smiling, before leaving the money on the table and standing. Hector stands too. He grabs his bag, throwing it over one shoulder.

"You tipped twenty-six percent." Hector tells him, Ricky squints at him. He shouldn't have said that. 

"How do you do that?" Ricky asks, still squinting.

"Do what?" Hector asks, confused. Math? He just does it, always could.

"The complicated math... I don't get it." Ricky is no longer squinting, Hector is relieved, but confused. It isn't that complicated is it? 

He shrugs, unable to explain, and Ricky takes that as an answer. He says goodbye to woman, as they exit.

They walk at a comfortable pace, not really going anywhere. Streets melding together, as it becomes darker. Hector, luckily, stills know where he is. Ricky stretches his arms above his head, before folding them behind his head, seemingly calm.

"Isn't this nice, just walking, not really thinking, or worrying? Ricky asks, though Hector knows it isn't really a question. It is nice, though as Hector thinks about it. He hasn't been thinking about any of the negative things since they've started walking. Hector just hums in response.

He should get into the park, before the lamps turn on and it gets too difficult to sneak in. He doesn't want to leave though, and he knows he won't even make it in time, the night fast approaching.

"So, where do you live? Uh I always see you in the park." Ricky asks him, and Hector can't even describe how he feels. 

Confusion, eyebrows furrow, as Hector tries to figure out what that means. Does he not understand what it means to be homeless, or does he not know at all?

"I'm homeless Ricky, I sleep there..." He tells him.

"Oh, well I asked earlier and didn't want to uh, assume I guess." Hector is even more confused. He looks homeless he know he does. They got a comment on it at the first place they went! He's being pranked or something, that has to be it, he thinks.

"What about you?" Hector asks him. 

Ricky grabs his hands, pulling him towards him, and bends down. Hector has only been this nervous a handful of times. His grip is tight, and sort of hurts his wrist.

"If i tell you, you can't tell anyone else." Ricky tells him. Hector nods his head, the eye contact thy're making is uncomfortable. "I live in a two bedroom apartment by myself."

Ricky lets go of him and stands straight up again. He didn't even act like the event had just happened. Hector just continues to walk. He figures just leaving the situation alone, then nothing will come of it. Ricky is paranoid, badly paranoid, Hector realizes, as Ricky easily keeps up with him. He isn't going very fast, maybe he should be. 

"Did I scare you? I do that to everyone I think..." Now Hector feels bad, hearing that, but if Ricky invites him to his house he's definitely saying no.

"A little." He admits. He scared the hell out of him, but he figures it would do no good to tell him that. 

"Thanks for being honest... no one really ever is." Ricky tells him. Hector looks at him, but it's difficult, only being able to see him through the street lamps which dot the sidewalks seemingly sporadically. 

"Well, I'll see you some other time." Ricky says suddenly, before stepping into the street, nearly being hit by a car.

He's gone, before Hector can even even think of calling out to him. Besides, he thinks that'd be weird.

Hector continues walking the way they were going. He only now realizes, he's a few blocks away from the park. Ricky walked him home, well almost.


	4. Chapter 4

It's almost a week before Hector sees Ricky again. He thinks it was a week, his perception of time now skewed, by his long days. He's sitting at the tree, actually hoping to see the man. He wants to see what weird things the Ricky will do next.

"Hey, Ricky!" He calls out to who he thinks is Ricky, while walking over. The man turns around, and it is in fact who he thought it was. He's different now though, looking panicked and scared. He's shaking, but he'd done that the last time they'd been together so he is unable to tell if it's related.

"Hey, come on and sit with me..." Hector invites him over. He tries not to touch him, unsure if he'll yell at him or try to hit him. He knows that some don't like to be touched when their scared. Ricky does go over, he sits with a thump on the ground. He shoves the palms of his hands over his eyes, the tips of his fingers digging into his hair.

Hector sits down too, softer than Ricky, but still quickly. He doesn't know what to do so he waits. He sits there in silence as Ricky babbles about things he can't understand, and as he shifts from covering his ears to his eyes over and over. He stops after an hour, and Hector realizes after he stops, he could've just left him earlier. He doubts he'd notice. 

"Thanks." Ricky says, sounding exhausted and small. Hector feels bad about even thinking of leaving now. Ricky is folded in on himself, bags Hector hadn't noticed before, deep under his eyes, he looks sickly as well. Now Hector is just worried. 

"Do you want some water?" Hector asks him. Ricky shakes his head no, and tugs at his hair once more. Hector nods, and takes a drink for himself. Now he looks like he wants the bottle. Hector hands it over to him. He should have guessed that if he can't eat food then he would be that way about beverages too. 

"I... thank you, really..." Ricky tells him again. He seems slightly better now, after drinking some water. He still looks bad though. 

"You're welcome, man..." Hector doesn't feel this situation earns a 'you're welcome', but he says it since he figures it will make Ricky feel slightly better. It does. Ricky smiles at him, soft and almost serene like, and Hector is taken slightly aback.

"These last few days have been bad." Ricky says, after a minute of silence, smile turning to a frown. He doesn't elaborate, Hector doesn't want to pry.

They sit in silence once more, Ricky starts to drum his hands against his thighs. Hector wrings his hands. He feels like he never has anything to say. 

"Want to go eat?" Ricky asks suddenly, hands no longer tapping. The tapping is a sign he's thinking, Hector guesses. He nods his head just the last time. He stands before Ricky this time, offering him a hand this time. Ricky takes it, but it's clear to both of them who pulled the weight of the tall man up. Ricky turns and grabs his bag. Hector almost yells at him, but before he can, it's being held out to him. He takes it, and throws it around his shoulders.

Ricky never has anything on him, Hector notes, as they walk to what he assumes is the same restaurant as last time. A wallet and that's it. Hector remembers the note suddenly, as they're walking.  
"Hey, what uh, what'd the note in your pocket say in the jacket you let me borrow?" He asks. Ricky turns his head slightly, and looks down at him.

"Grocery list." Ricky tells him. Hector thinks it's funny Ricky even goes to the grocery store, since he's so nervous about food. He keeps that to himself though. The walk is nice, as they weave through people, fewer than normal, Hector thinks. They arrive to the same restaurant.

"Hey sweeties." The same waitress, greets them, they smile and nod back. They sit where they sat last time. The same old woman is there as before. Hector wonders if things have changed since the last time they were there. It has, only slightly though. 

"Special today is pancakes..." Ricky tells him, before continuing, "If you uh, tell me what you like I can find things similar on the er, uh, the menu for you..."

Hector can't think of anyone who has been this nice to him besides the homeless shelter workers. He smiles now, it's a soft smile, that reaches his eyes. Ricky smiles back, but it's more of a, 'smile back' type. 

'I'll get the pancakes, today, thank you, maybe some other time though." Hector tells him, smile still on his face. Ricky nods, before scanning his menu again. Hector leaves him to it. He watches the waitress approach

"What can i get you two to drink?" The waitress asks as she reaches into her apron for her notepad. They order the same drinks as last time, and order their food at the same time. Ricky had apparently checked the menu thoroughly enough. She shuffles off, to get their drinks. 

She comes back, and puts their drinks on the table, before leaving once more. Ricky takes a drink almost immediately. He almost finishes the entire thing in less than 15 seconds. Hector takes, what he thinks is a normal sip of his drink. 

"Say, since you asked me a question about uh, the first time we met can I, er, ask one?" Ricky asks, and Hector appreciates how he asks now.

"Sure." He responds and waits for the question. Ricky starts to tap one of his hands. It takes almost three minutes for Ricky to ask a question, and Hector had almost told him to just ask.  
"Why do you go by Zero?" Hector thinks of how he deflect the question. He doesn't want this fun time to be sad. He can't think pf anything.

"I'm not really anything, you know? I'm nothing just a big zero, won't ever amount to anything." He tells him. Ricky frowns. Hector feels like he's ruined everything. The waitress comes to their table and sets the food down, leaving as quick as she came. Their table is uncomfortable Hector thinks. 

He almost automatically reaches over to Ricky's food to take a bite. Ricky is still staring at him. He does it anyway, hoping Ricky will just eat and forget what he said. He does eat, but the air is still thick.  
The pancakes are good, but he can't eat all of them, he feels too bad. Ricky doesn't finish his food either. He isn't frowning anymore but he looks like he's upset still.

"You're pretty cool, like an 8." Ricky tells him, and Hector thought it was going to be so much worse. He doesn't even know what that means, but Ricky is smiling so he'll take it. He smiles back slightly, he still feels like he's messed up.

"All finished?" The waitress appears again, Hector barely sees her before she starts talking. She leaves the check, and Ricky automatically tips five dollars, despite the total definitely not being twenty five dollars. Hector doesn't see to tell him.

They stand, Hector almost forgets his bag. He notices it's raining as he reaches the door.


	5. Chapter 5

The rain is a surprise, though he supposes if he had a phone or asked about the weather it wouldn't have been. It isn't unusual for it to downpour the few times they get rain a year. 

"Do you want to come uh, to my house?" Ricky asks, head tilted, staring out the door. Hector's hand stops abruptly, about to push open the door.

"No, I'll be fine." Hector says, voice cut at the end. He likes Ricky, but he doesn't think he trusts him enough to go into his home.

He walks out into the rain, and it's a heavy one, beating down on him immediately. He doesn't own an umbrella. Neither does Ricky, Hector realizes, as the other follows him out in the rain less than a minute later. His bag is heavy now, making him slower, and Ricky catches up with ease. 

"Where do you want to go?" Ricky asks him, and Hector is starting to feel annoyed. He knows Ricky means well, but he doesn't know how to tell him to leave him be without being mean.

"You go home, I've been in the rain before." He tells him, voice edging an annoyance he hasn't let anyone hear in a long time.

Ricky stops dead in his tracks and walks in what Hector assumes is the other direction. He doesn't say anything and neither does Ricky. They go their separate ways and Hector wonders as he's walking if he's messed things up. 

He steps in a puddle as he enters the park, and that wouldn't be too bad, if not for it being mud. It has coated his shoes, and the bottom of his pants. He hopes they'll just wash out in the rain. He scours through the park looking for one of the benches that have an enclosure. They had gotten rid of the pavilions last year to combat homeless-ness. 

He finds one of the benches, and there are a few people hiding from the rain too. He doesn't feel as bad getting caught in it anymore. The people under the temporary shelter, give him a once over. An older looking man looks like he feels bad. Hector figures it's because he looks like a drowned rat than anything else. A woman is talking on the phone about being late. An old woman stares into the rain like it's betraying her specifically, and Hector almost laughs at the scowl on her face.

The rain slows after a few minutes of milling in silence, the woman's call having been ended while they were waiting. They all make a break for it, the woman and old lady going in one way, the man in another. Hector stays where he is. The rain picks back up again not even five minutes later. 

He sits down on the bench, tired. He's starting to get cold too. He shrugs off his bag, and sets it beside him, his spine and shoulders rejoicing in relief. He opens his bag, to see if anything is dry enough to put on. Everything is wet, he realizes. He shuts his bag and sighs, He's going to be wet for a while. 

He feels he can't go to the shelter having already been there not even two weeks ago. He knows logically though, it would make sense for him to go, it is raining after all, and he doesn't have anything dry to wear. 

His contemplation of going to the shelter are interrupted, as he's nudged. Ricky never actually says anything when they see each other, just taps him, Hector realizes, as he looks at him. He's standing just outside the shelter of the enclosure, and umbrella open shielding him, another in his hand.

"Come on, you can't stay in this, you didn't catch it in time." Ricky tells him, and Hector can tell he isn't going to take no for an answer. Hector stands, he should've just accepted Ricky's offer in the first place, he's done worse for less offers before. Besides, he feels responsible for the man coming out to get him, and if he'd just went originally he wouldn't be out here right now.

He grabs his backpack, and it seems so much heavier than before, he almost drops it as he picks it up. Ricky takes a few steps forward, now covered from the rain completely. Hector opens his bag trying to think of what he can just leave and maybe come back for later.

"Gimme, uh it, I promise to give it uh back okay?" Hector turns to look at him, and he knows Ricky doesn't want his stuff. He still has reserves about handing it over though, as he zips it back up. He hands it to Ricky, and he throws it over a shoulder as if it were the lightest thing in the world. 

Ricky hand him the still closed umbrella, and as he opens it, Hector wonders why he even owns two in the first place. They start the walk back to Ricky's apartment, and Hector as they walk, Hector can his bag is starting to get to heavy. Ricky shakes his head no, suddenly as if he were aware of Hector wanting to carry it the rest of the way. 

Hector tries to remember what streets they take to get to Rick's house, well apartment, Hector realizes, as Ricky pulls a key out of seemingly nowhere. They're only a few blocks away from the diner. The building is clearly older, but as Ricky opens the old door, it's clear this building has had some renovations too. The lobby area just has three mailboxes, one of which has writing. The other two are blank. Hector wonders if Ricky is the only person who lives in this building. That makes him nervous to think about. 

"Elevator is always out." Ricky grumbles, clearly to himself. He unlocks the door to the stairs now, and as Hector looks at the broken elevator he notices that requires a key too. They walk up two flights of stairs and as they're climbing up them, Hector becomes aware of how uncomfortable he is in his clothes. 

The door to Ricky's apartment is right as you reach the top of the stairs, and is the only door on the floor, besides the elevator. Ricky turns a different key, and it jams. He rams his shoulder into the clearly old door, and it opens with ease.

"They revamp everything but the door and the elevator, ya' know...." Ricky says, and Hector realizes what he's doing is a routine, and he might not exist to Ricky right now. He takes his shoes off outside the door, and drops his umbrella. Hector does the same. Ricky mumbles something Hector can't hear as he shuffles inside, and drops his bag next to the couch. Hector stands in the doorway, he knows he's being awkward. 

Ricky looks at him, and yanks hid head telling him to come on. Hector steps inside, hitting his side off a little end table. Ricky looks at him with a weird look of concern and solidarity. He must hit the table fairly often too. Ricky is a lot cleaner then he thought he'd be. Everything is organized from what he can tell, it's a disorganized clean though. There are a lot of hand written notes on the wall, and Hector thinks if he could read, he still wouldn't be able to make out what they said. 

"Hang on right uh, there," Ricky says loudly, startling Hector. He does as he's told, waiting rooted to the spot. He's back in a few seconds, holding sweatpants and a shirt. He he shuffles over to him, he doesn't pick up his feet when he walks at home. Hector takes them from him, rather stupidly, unsure of where to change. In front of him, maybe? He doesn't want to be weird though.

"Bathroom is over here." Ricky says abruptly, as he picks up Hector isn't going to say anything. He starts to walk again, and Hector follows. They walk down a hallway that is in the middle of the living and dining room. The bathroom is at the end of the hall, and he wonders what is behind the other doors. Ricky's bedroom is obviously one of them. Hector wants to know why he needs two bedrooms if he lives alone.

He enters the bathroom, and is aware he actually has to go. so he does. As he washes his hands he looks around. The bathroom is in a weird state of clean and dirty. The floor and all the things in the room are clean. There are a lot of medication bottles strewn around the entire bathroom though, as if Ricky were looking for a specific one. There are clothes on the floor too, but he figures that's just because he doesn't have room in the relatively small room. He doesn't look through the two cabinets that isn't any of his business. Neither was questioning all the pills.

He dresses quickly, well aware of just how big the clothes he's wearing are. They're drowning him, his feet covered by fold upon fold of pants he won't ever be able to fit. The shirt is no different, and he looks like he's wearing a dress with how long it comes down on him. He carries his wet clothes with him, as he goes back to the living room. Ricky is sitting on the couch, already changed into dry clothes. 

He glances up at him he enter, and he looks almost surprised to see him there. Hector wonders if he forgot he was there in his apartment. He turns red suddenly, and Hector immediately checks to see if he's fully dressed, and he is. Ricky looks fine now though, when he looks up so he forgets it happened.

"Do you care if I do laundry?" Ricky asks as Hector realizes he's still holding his wet clothes. Hector shakes his head no, he doesn't mind. He does mind a little bit though, he doesn't think Ricky would be this trusting to leave a stranger in his home. Ricky stands of the couch, and stretches, bones and joints popping as he does so. He goes off into what he assumes is the bedroom, and appears with an almost empty basket, he grabs the clothes in the bathroom too, as he comes back to the living room. 

He motions towards the basket, now half full, and Hector drops his clothes in without a second thought.

"Do you want me to do your other clothes?" Ricky asks, "Baskets uh, only half full..." Ricky trails of towards the end. Hector shuffles off now too, over to his back and he has to dig in order to get his clothes. He takes out the few canned goods he has left, in order to get the rest of his clothes. He unceremoniously drops them into the basket. It's mostly blacks, Hector notices, as he scans them quickly.

Ricky picks up the basket, and as he exits out his front door he looks at Hector as if challenging him to touch something. Hector sits on the couch and waits. Ricky is back much sooner than expected, he looks sheepish though, as he grabs a handful of what he assumes are quarters, in a bowl by the door.

He seems almost out of breath as he comes back in, as if he'd run up the stairs, only to pretend to walk in casually. Hector wonders what that's about. He closes the quietly, a soft click, heard as the door catches. Hector hears the audible click of a lock. He wonders now, if he is about to be murdered.

He isn't murdered, or at least not yet, as Ricky drops a few quarters back into the bowl. He comes back over to the couch and sits next to Hector a comfortable amount of space left between them, he didn't think Ricky knew about personal space but he's been wrong before. Ricky props his feet up on the table, mismatched socks, clashing. He wonders if he loses the mates or chooses to have them like that.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote all of this on my phone.  
> This has been sitting in my drafts for months, I'm new to this site as a writer.  
> I know this is such a weird ship but ive been developing it in my head since I was like 10 lol it's my biggest special interest.
> 
> Please let me know what you think !


End file.
